Colonial Society in the Americas (675-681)

Cecilia, McKenzie, ChrisThe Formation of Multicutural Societies
Throughout the Americas, relations between individuals of American, European, and African ancestry led to the emergence of mestizo populations. European people and their Euro-American kids dominated political and economic affairs. They mined metals, cultivated cash crops, and trapped fur-bearing animals to supply capitalist markets.

• Cabeza De Vaca (spanish nobleman/traveler)

  Cabeza De Vaca

  
  
  • Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca joined an expedition of 300 explorers who went from hispaniola to investigate Florida in 1527
  • most members perished because of inadequate supplies the harsh environment and clashes with indigenous forces
  • him and the few survivors built boats to make their way across the Gulf of Mexico to New Spain.
  • crashed in Texas
  • There ship crashed and for 8 years him and 3 companions lived in several different societies serving as slaves and physicians
  • they found their way to Mexico in 1556
• Mestizo Societies
  • All European territories became multicultural societies
  • Migrants became to go to the Iberian colonies; from spanish decent 85% of them were men, and portuguese people had an even more male dominated society
  • Because of the lack of European women in these colonies, the spanish and portuguese men began to have relationships with the native women
  • this caused the mestizo(mixed) society population to increase
  • in colonial cities spanish migrants tired to recreated the European-style society
  • in less settled lands the spanish migrants and native women gave rise to the mestizo society
  • In Brazil, Portuguese men had relationships with native women and African slave women due to the lack of European women
  • Brazil soon had populations of mestizos, mulattoes( Portuguese and African parents), zambos( Indiginous and African parents), and other combinations of different race parents
  • Different race marriages became very popular as a result of these different race relationships
• The Social Hierachy
  • in both spanish and portuguese settlements, migrants native to Europe, also known as peninsulares, were at the top of the social hiarchy
  • next to the top were criollos or creoles, people born in the americans to 2 European parents
  • All Iberian colonies imported slaves and conquered peoples stood at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
  • Mestizos, mulattoes, zambos, and other mixed people began to make a big impact on the Brazilian society so they moved up in the social hiarchy
• North American Societies
  • these settlements were a lot different than the ones in south american, because in North American there were more women than men in the society
  • french fur traders associated with native women and made metis(french and native women children)
  • Women were numerous among the French
  • in colonial cities french and native women interactions was less common
  • There was never relationships between the English colonies of North American and Native people
  • The English did not like the natives and this later turned into an early form of racism
  • the english did interact with the american and african people, they used there language when naming raccoons and opssums, and trees like hickory and pecan
  • the english also began to wear moccasins and deerskin clothes
  • they also gave up military customs of marching in massed ranks and presenting drums and flying colors
  • from the african slaves the borrowed food crops and techniques for rice cultivation
• Mining and Agriculture in Spanish Empire
  • From the Spanish point of view, the greatest attractions of the Americas were precious metals
  • Gold was not the most abundant American treasure
  • Silver was greater than gold
  • They needed workers for mines in mexican societies. Most was voluntary labor but they had to get a draft system called the mita system.
  • American silver helped spanish kings finance a powerful army and bureacracy.